# US 2019/0172003 A1 · System and method for iterative improvements to re-count inventory rules

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- Number: US 2019/0172003 A1
- Document ID: US20190172003A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/212,062
- Filed: 2018-12-06
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-06
- Assignees: Walmart Apollo, LLC
- Applicants: Walmart Apollo, LLC
- Inventors: Robert Taylor; Justin Smith; Smita Sharda; Jyoti Malik; Megan Humphreys; Joshua Ridgeway
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190172003A1

## CPC

- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G06Q 10/0635: Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
- G06Q 10/08772: {Inventory counting methods}
- G06Q 10/1097: {using calendar-based scheduling for task assignment}
- G06Q 10/08774: {using consumer inventory reporting}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing adequate instructions to conduct an inventory of a store, and specifically a how to provide an accurate inventory of difficult to count items. As a store is performing an inventory, instructions to perform re-counts of specific items are sent. As the re-count begins, videos, text, or other materials needed to perform a complete re-count are distributed to the store associate performing the re-count task. If the re-count is outside pre-defined thresholds, an additional task to re-count the item may be assigned. Based on these actions, the set of rules used to identify when the re-count should occur can be modified.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving, at a server, historical inventory amounts for individual stores in a plurality of stores;
receiving, at the server, a store type for each store in the plurality of stores;
receiving, at the server and from a store system in the plurality of stores, product data for each product sold in the store, the product data comprising, for the each product:
a product type;
at least one product location; and
at least one fixture type for the at least one product location;
while an inventory of the store is being conducted:
receiving, at the server and from at least one associate device, a current inventory count for each of the products sold within the store;
identifying products within the store which need to be recounted by comparing the current inventory count for each product to:
the historical inventory amounts for the each product across the plurality of stores;
the historical inventory amount for the each product at the store; and
inventory rules which take into account the product type, the store type, the at least one product location, and the at least one fixture type, to yield re-count tasks;
transmitting, from the server and to a manager device associated with the store:
the re-count tasks; and
store specific instructions for each of the re-count tasks, the store specific instructions based on the product type, the at least one product location, and the at least one fixture type,
where the re-count tasks and the store specific instructions are transmitted from the manager device to an alternative associate device upon a manager associated with the manager device assigning the re-count tasks; and
receiving, from the alternative associate device and in response to transmission of the re-count tasks and the store specific instructions, re-count inventory amounts for the products inventoried within the specific store which require the recount; and
generating a finalized inventory based on the current inventory count for each of the products sold within the store and the re-count inventory amounts for the products inventoried within the specific store which require the recount.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a re-count of a product can be initiated based at least one of:
a difference between the current inventory count and the historical inventory amounts across the plurality of stores exceeding a first pre-defined threshold; and
a difference between the current inventory count and the historical inventory amount for the each product at the store exceeding a second pre-defined threshold.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the first pre-defined threshold and the second pre-defined threshold are based on a value of inventoried product available.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one fixture type comprises one of a stackbase, an endcap, a sidecounter; and
wherein the at least one product location comprises one of an aisle number, a department area, and a room type.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the store specific instructions comprise multi-modal instructions, wherein the multi-modal instructions comprise at least two of: images, text, and video.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the type of store is one of a plurality of types of stores, each type of store having defined predefined departments associated with product locations.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
estimating, via the processor on the server, prior to the transmitting of the re-count tasks and the store specific instructions and based on the re-count tasks, a risk of inventory error; and
in real-time as the re-count inventory amounts are received, updating, via the processor on the server, the risk of inventory error based on the re-count inventory amounts.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
modifying the inventory rules, via the processor on the server and based on the re-count inventory amounts, such that future re-count tasks and store specific instructions are generated in a distinct manner.

### Claim 9

A system comprising:
a processor; and
a computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at a server, historical inventory amounts for individual stores in a plurality of stores;
receiving a store type for each store in the plurality of stores;
receiving, from a store in the plurality of stores, product data for each product sold in the store, the product data comprising, for the each product:
a product type;
at least one product location; and
at least one fixture type for the at least one product location;
while an inventory of the store is being conducted:
receiving, at the server, a current inventory count for each of the products sold within the store;
identifying products within the store which need to be recounted by comparing the current inventory count for each product to:
the historical inventory amounts for the each product across the plurality of stores;
the historical inventory amount for the each product at the store; and
inventory rules which take into account the product type, the store type, the at least one product location, and the at least one fixture type, to yield re-count tasks;
transmitting, from the server and to the store:
the re-count tasks; and
store specific instructions for each of the re-count tasks, the store specific instructions based on the product type, the at least one product location, and the at least one fixture type; and
receiving, from the store and in response to transmission of the re-count tasks and the store specific instructions, re-count inventory amounts for the products inventoried within the specific store which require the recount; and
generating a finalized inventory based on the current inventory count for each of the products sold within the store and the re-count inventory amounts for the products inventoried within the specific store which require the recount.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein a re-count of a product can be initiated based at least one of:
a difference between the current inventory count and the historical inventory amounts across the plurality of stores exceeding a first pre-defined threshold; and
a difference between the current inventory count and the historical inventory amount for the each product at the store exceeding a second pre-defined threshold.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the first pre-defined threshold and the second pre-defined threshold are based on a value of inventoried product available.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one fixture type comprises one of a stackbase, an endcap, a sidecounter; and
wherein the at least one product location comprises one of an aisle number, a department area, and a room type.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the store specific instructions comprise multi-modal instructions, wherein the multi-modal instructions comprise at least two of: images, text, and video.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the type of store is one of a plurality of types of stores, each type of store having defined predefined departments associated with product locations.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
estimating prior to the transmitting of the required re-count tasks and the store specific instructions and based on the required re-count tasks, a risk of inventory error; and
in real-time as the re-count inventory amounts are received, updating the risk of inventory error based on the re-count inventory amounts.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor comprising:
modifying the inventory rules, based on the re-count inventory amounts, such that future re-count tasks and store specific instructions are generated in a distinct manner.

### Claim 17

A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving historical inventory amounts for individual stores in a plurality of stores;
receiving a store type for each store in the plurality of stores;
receiving, from a store in the plurality of stores, product data for each product sold in the store, the product data comprising, for the each product:
a product type;
at least one product location; and
at least one fixture type for the at least one product location;
while an inventory of the store is being conducted:
receiving a current inventory count for each of the products sold within the store;
identifying products within the store which need to be recounted by comparing the current inventory count for each product to:
the historical inventory amounts for the each product across the plurality of stores;
the historical inventory amount for the each product at the store; and
inventory rules which take into account the product type, the store type, the at least one product location, and the at least one fixture type, to yield re-count tasks;
transmitting to the store:
the re-count tasks; and
store specific instructions for each of the re-count tasks, the store specific instructions based on the product type, the at least one product location, and the at least one fixture type; and
receiving, from the store and in response to transmission of the re-count tasks and the store specific instructions, re-count inventory amounts for the products inventoried within the specific store which require the recount; and
generating a finalized inventory based on the current inventory count for each of the products sold within the store and the re-count inventory amounts for the products inventoried within the specific store which require the recount.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein a re-count of a product can be initiated based at least one of:
a difference between the current inventory count and the historical inventory amounts across the plurality of stores exceeding a first pre-defined threshold; and
a difference between the current inventory count and the historical inventory amount for the each product at the store exceeding a second pre-defined threshold.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the first pre-defined threshold and the second pre-defined threshold are based on a value of inventoried product available.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the at least one fixture type comprises one of a stackbase, an endcap, a sidecounter; and
wherein the at least one product location comprises one of an aisle number, a department area, and a room type.